The United States Department of Agriculture Thursday announced that it has  issued a disaster declaration for counties, including Koochiching, involve in an ongoing drought.

This declaration means that farmers in these counties are now eligible for emergency loan assistance from the Farm Service Agency to help cover crop or livestock losses.

 The declaration designates Clearwater, Kittson, Koochiching, Le Sueur, Roseau, Sibley, and Waseca counties as a primary disaster area. Becker, Beltrami, Blue Earth, Carver, Faribault, Freeborn, Hubbard, Itasca, Lake of the Woods, McLeod, Mahnomen, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Renville, Rice, St. Louis, Scott, and Steele have also been designated as contiguous disaster counties. 

 U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said as the drought continues it’s putting increasing strain on Minnesota’s farmers and ranchers

“This action by the USDA is another important step in helping our farmers get through these challenging times, and I will continue to fight to move forward the 5-year Farm Bill that the Senate passed in June, which includes critical drought relief programs to support Minnesota’s farmers and ranchers,” said Klobuchar.

"Farming is a vital part of Minnesota's economy, and this assistance will give our farmers and livestock producers some assistance so they can survive this year's drought," said Franken. "Farming is inherently risky, and that's why it's so important that the House of Representatives pass the Senate's Farm Bill so our farmers know they can count on a safety net when a bad year hits."